Principles of Meaning

Determination
in
Sanskrit Grammatical Tradition
 Important thinkers
Yaska (7th century BC) - Nirukta
Panini (5th century BC) - Astadhyayi
Shakalya - Padapatha
Bhartrhari (5th century AD)- Vakyapadiya
Nagesa (18th century AD)-Manjusha,
Shekhara, Udyota, Sphotavada etc.
 Tradition of Poetics
Bhamaha- Kavyalamkara
Anandavardhana-Dhvanyaloka
Mammata- Kavyaprakasha
Vishvanatha- SahityaDarpana
Jagannatha- Rasagangadhara
 Tradition of Logicians
Gangesa- Tattvacintamani
Raghunatha-Didhiti
Jayanta-Nyayamanjari
Udayana-Nyayakusumanjali
Jagadisa- Shaktivada,Vyutpattivada.
 Tradition of Hermenuticians
Kumarila-Sloka/tantra-vartiika
Vacaspati- Shastradipika
Khandadeva-Bhattarahasya, Bhattadipika
etc.
 Word- Meaning relation
Arbitrary
Sanketa sambandha.
Knowing any language = knowing the
sanketa of the sounds on the meaning.
Means of knowing sanketa-
Vyakarana, upamana, kosa, aptavakya,
vyavahara, vakyasesa, vivriti, sannnidhya,
Techniques of Knowing sanketa
Anvaya association
Vyatireka- difference
Avapa- insertion
Udvapa- removal
Ex- gaam aanaya / (Bring the cow.)
gaam badhaana/ (Tie the cow.)
Gaam,gaam and cow, cow.
Aanaya, badhaana asnd bring,tie
Means of the Verbal Knowledge of
a human being
Padajnana knowledge of the sound
Padarthajnana- knowledge of the meaning
of the sound
Sanketasmarana- recollection of the
relation of the sound and its meaning
 Types of Meanings
Vacya primary verbal
Lakshya- secondary verbal
Vyangya suggested verbal/non verbal
Ex- ganga waters of ganga (vacya)
-- banks of ganga (lakshya)
-- association with coolness and
purity (vyangya)
(gangayam ghoshah hamlet on ganga)
 The concept of Anekartha
Restricted to the primary meaning and the
secondary meaning as well as the
vyangya artha are not taken into acount
when a word is said to have multiple
meanings.
 Classical debate
Whether in such cases the word is one or
many ?
Some say that as many meanings, so
many words. Even though the phonetic
sequence is the same there are two or
more words for two or more meanings.
Some say one word having so many
meaning.
 Principles for resolving the
ambiguity caused by anekartha
Samyogo viprayogas ca
sahacaryam virodhita /
arthah prakaranam lingam sabdasyanyasya
sannidhih //
samarthyam auciti desah
kalo vyakti svaradayah
sabdarthasya anavachede
visesasmritihetavah // Vakyapadiya 2.316-7
 Samyoga
Connection, conjunction, union.
Hari vishnu, lion, monkey etc.
sasankhacakro harih hari with the conch
and the wheel
Union with the other word indicates that the
meaning here is Vishnu and not others.
 viprayoga
Separation, disjunction, dissociation,
absence.
Hari asankhacakro harih / (Hari without
the conch and the wheel)
The attribute indicating the absence of
certain atributes shows that the meaning
intended here is Vishnu.
 Sahacarya
Association, society.
Arjuna- son of Kunti, name of a king.

Bhimarjunau bhima and arjuna

Association of the word bhima indicated that
the meaning of arjuna here is the son of
Kunti
 Virodhita
Opposition, contradictoriness.

Karnarjunau Karna and Arjuna

The opposition factor indicates that Arjuna
here must mean the son of Kunti.
Karna ear, son of Kunti
The opposition indicates that here Karna
must mean the son of Kunti.
 arthah
Meaning

Sthanu a pillar, Siva.

Sthanum vande / (I salute the sthanu)
The relation of the meaning Siva is fit for
getting connected with the action of
salutation than pillar.
 Prakarana
Context (out of linguistic plane)

Saidhava- salt, a horse bought from the

region of sindhu.
Saidhavam anaya / (Bring the salt)
Context dining table
Saindhava means salt.
 Linga
Hint, clue.
pura- city, body.

Devah puorarih / (God, the destructor of the pura).

By the hint of the word god, it is clear that pura
here refers to the city.

The reference to Lord Siva who destroyed the

three cities and thus gained the name of
Tripurari.
 sannidhi
Proximity of other words.
Makaradhvaja- ocean, madana

Kupito makaradhvajah (Makaradhvaja is

angry)
The proximity of the word kupitah indicates
that the meaning of the word
Makaradhvaja is Madana.
 samarthya
Force
Udara- stomach, belly of a pregnant woman

Anudara kanya / (A maiden without an

udara)
Here it is not possible to have a human
being without a stomach. Hence on the
force of this state the word udara here
must mean the belly of a pregnant woman.
 auciti
Propriety.
Mukha face, facing
Patu vo dayitamukham (let the mukha of the
beloved save you all)
Context- the husband has committed an error and
his friend assures her by this statement saying
that let facing your beloved wife save you. In the
context mere face has no propriety as far as the
action described in the context is concerned.
 desha
Place
Candra- moon, name of a king.
Vibhati gagane candrah / (The Candra
shines in the sky)
The place mentioned in the statement
determines that Candra must mean moon
and not the king Candra.
 kalah
Time.
madhu- name of a demon, spring.
Madhuna mattah pikah / (The cuckoo
intoxicated by madhu)
That the bird gets intoxicated in a particular
period of the year namely spring is a
known fact, indicates that the word madhu
here means the spring.
 vyakti
Gender
Mitra- Sun, friend.
Mitra is masculine means Sun.
Mitra in Neuter means freind.
The gender of the word will determine the
meaning of the word.
 Svara
Accent
Indrasatru a person who is the killer of
Indra, a person who is going to be killed
by Indra.
The accent on the first word Indra
indicates the second meaning and the
accent on the last vowel indicates the first
meaning.
 Determination of meaning
1. In a given entry, where a word has only one meaning.
2. Where a word has more than one meanings.

In the first case, the principles of anvaya and vyatireka or

avapa and udvapa play a prominent role in determining
the meaning. However, it must be borne is mind that for
the application of these principles one has to have a data
on the usage. Vyavahara. That is why one must compare
the relation of the word in question with the verb with
which it is used, what case endings does it take etc.
 In the absence of such data, in an organised
manner one has to take resort to the technique
and the principles of etymology.
Yaska is the founder father of the science of
Etymology in Indian context.
According to his theory, each and every word is
derived from some verbal root. Thus he
presumes that each and every word indicates
some action related to the meaning of that word.
In the second case, the abovementioned 16 can
be helpful.
It is understood that these 16 can be further
classified into a few heads like-
Context (Linguistic)
Context (Nonlinguistic)
Accent

Etc.
 Example -1
Agrani
1. Leader ()
2.a charioteer
3.epithet of Agni
4.founder of noble path.
 Mano agranir bhavaty esham / (Mind is
their leader)
Vinirgatah sashvarathadvajagranih/ (The
charioteer left with the horse, chariot and
flag).
So agranir vahnir ucyate / (That fire is
called agrani)
 Example 2
Maana-
Maa(to measure) + ana(means) = means to measure.
Used in the context of offereing mana. This context
indicates that mana here means not exactly the means
to measure but a connected meaning to it namely-
measuring extended.
Then tallying with the verb with which it is used
IT is used with the verb dene.
Give an extended measuring .
That is to say consider somebody with extended measures.
That is greater.
Thus mana can be glossed now as biggerness.
(Mothepana)